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Another bit of info for you, you will find when you do decide to drink again that your body metabolizes alcohol much differently post band than pre band. Meaning, you get drunk a lot faster (speaking from experience) I used to be able to handle martini's and knew when I needed to stop, now I go from I feel OK to oops I had one to many. So be careful and if you do drink, make sure someone is there that will have your back. And you are right it is NOT WORTH IT! Now days my drinking is very little and I consider my self a cheap date both eating and drinking. Good luck!

Oh there was one more question...she asked if I have been or currently am addicted to drugs or alcohol. I said no, too busy being addicted to food!

Hi tmorgan, I am new to this site and was reading your amazing story. You have been through quite a bit and it has been nothing but God's grace and mercy that has brought you through. I am truly sorry for your lose. I believe your daughter is Still with you and She Would Want you to take care of yourself and do what is right for you!! Keep praying and seek God in all that you do. Pray for your husband and Ask God to deliver him from alcohol and God WILL do it. It's time for the both of you to heal. I will be praying for you and your family. Remember GOD IS ABLE.(-:

I've already had some alcohol.. Just sip and go slow. I had about half a margarita and was fine. Have fun in your trip!!

sooo today is my first saturday being out of bed / post op comma ,,, and my house mates have a few friends around having drinks in the shed and the all decided to get pizza : / and my favourite drink rummmmm EEEKKK so much temptation ,,, i knew that weekends would be hard as most of my friends head out clubbing and to partys on the weekends as do I ,, but not drinking alcohol is just al adjustment ill have to get used to ,, not just cuz the soft drink in the drinks will make me burp which is a little uncomfortable,, but also cuz there is soooo many calories in those drinks that its really NOT WORTH IT,, so yea just thought i would give you all a quick update,, get that off my chest as it is going to be one of those hurdles ill have to get through,, hope you all have a lovely weekend

Care to expound upon your response? Alcohol does thin the blood, so I'm not sure where the inaccuracy lies. At 6 weeks the staple line is typically considered healed, so it does seem to make some sense to me.

You want to watch how many carbs are in them. You want more protein than carbs. I don't like the ones with too much sugar alcohol in them because that gives me bad gas. I love the power crunch bars from Walmart. I also get Oh yeah bars online at vitacost.com The choc./peanut butter does not have sugar alcohol but a lot of their flavors do.

I got a cold about 2 weeks out of surgery and took Nyquil for about 4 days. It had 10% alcohol in it and it was probably not the best choice on my part. No problems taking it, but burned a little.

I drank alcohol for the first time last weekend (I was sleeved 6/13) and it was great, I had 6 vodka & diet cranberry drinks. I thought for sure I'd be drunk after the first one.

My doc said to stay away from NyQuil. I had already had 1 dose and it burned my stomach pretty bad (just the feeling not an actual burn). The pharmacist suggested robituassin bc it's not as much alcohol and cheap so if I couldn't handle it I hadn't spent an arm and leg. It burned a little going down but was tolerable. This was 3 weeks out also. The doc said to stay away from any decongestant, but musinex w a cough suppressant worked pretty well also.

Like everyone else said I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. However I would be curious to know tomorrow if it causes any problems with gas or your pouch. My doc told me alcohol would irritate the pouch just like caffeine. Anyone had any experience with that and know if it's true or not???

I know how you feel Laura. I'm an addict too. I guess I finally realized that about a year ago. I can go on a diet and stay very focused and disiplined but once I "fall off the wagon" look out! I've often compared myself to an alcoholic like if I take that one drink its all over. I keep trying to talk myself out of this surgery but then I look in the mirror and it reminds me how bad I need it. I can lose the weight but it just comes right back on because I go back to my old eating habits which is what got me in this mess in the first place. I am hoping this tool is the answer. I start my liquid diet on the 15th (Monday). I was terrified at first but now I think I will do ok. I think I can make it. I use to say I thought it would be easier to eat nothing. I mean when I quit smoking, that was it. No cigs at all and if you were an alcoholic you stop drinking totally. But with food you still have to eat which leads to temptation which makes me fall off the diet. So now I guess I will get my chance to find out. This website has helped me tremendously! Thank you everyone!! My surgery is the 29th. When is yours?

sooo yesterday afternoon i ventured out of the house to go catch up with some family,,, i was a little nervous as i hadnt really hung out with any one other then my house mates since the surgury and they are used to my little after drinking and eating dances and faces lol well it actually went really well,, of course there were lots of questions and humour and support as my family are great that way, but there was a little akwardness when it came to stuff like offering me tea and coffee and what not,, but i guess thats to be expected cuz most people dont really know much about banding or how it works or what we can eat and stuff , but once we got past that it was all pretty normal and awesome,, it was a great feeling a lifted alot of fear from me about feeling out of place because of my eating restrictions, but it as quite easy to adjust,,, they decided on fish and chips for dinner so i just got one peace of crumbed fish and ate it slowly like we bandits have to and in the time it took me to eat my peace of fish they were all finishing their meals,, so it as alot less akward and such a relief i dont think they really even noticed how little i ate,, or maybe my family are just that awesome they just took it on board either way SUCCESS ,,, i even actually had half a glass of rum and coke,, naughty naughty i know but it was a bit of a reward for me,, but as i havnt been eating anything sugarly or fatty latly the sugar in that half a glass sent me a little hyper LOL,,,, which my family ( who all quit enjoy there alcohol) thought was quit funny,, i also noticed last night that my attitude and confidence has changed a little bit already ,, usually im shy and timid around my family , but last night i didnt have the usual feeling of not fitting in,, ive only lost 5 kg but the knowledge in the back of my head that i am making these changes and that i am GOING to do this ,, just that knowledge alone and the confidence and energy i get from having my band is boosting me so much and my family are noticing already,, so hopefully that lasts through out my journey,, i know it probably will waver here and there but again a perk of my family know and my close friends know is they can spur me on so yea great start to my second bandit week,,, tata for now

The alcohol in the Nyquil might make your pouch upset. I took some childrens cold liquids and it seemed to help. I would ask the doctor Hope you feel better.

The clear liquid portion of the show is to clear out your digestive system - not specifically shrink the liver. The liver shrinking comes from the reduction of carbohydrates - most bariatric patients have some extent of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/syndrome and this is what "unpuffs" it. The incision high on the tummy just under your bra-line is where that retractor is inserted - and its a skinny little instrument narrower than a pen. All surgeons vary in their advice - my doc has his patients eat solid food (Atkins induction - 20 g of carbs or less a day) with clears the day before surgery. I lost 14 lbs in about 10 days and surgical team said my liver was teeny...I ate a lot of chicken during my pre-op - and premier Protein shakes. Post surgery - I follow 600-800 cals a day, 80g protein, 40 g or less carbs...move the body and as much Fluid as you can get in, minimum 64 oz.

I'm 4 days into liquid diet. So interesting because if I just have my 5 unjury shakes I'm fine. But if I eat my 2 cups of veggies as a substitute for one if them (I'm allowed thus option) I get into all kinds of head hunger. I start to crave what I can't have, I wanna add butter, salad dressing etc. but if I just stick to the shake I'm fine. Interesting how addiction is a slippery slope. I can see why alcoholics can't 'have a sip'. Incidentally I have reeled in my temptations and stuck to the diet. Just sharing. I can see that when I go back to food it may be a real challenge. I'm glad I'll have my band with me to help contain that urge to overeat. I'm on my way to NYU now for my pre op thinking, "oooh oooh child, things are gonna get easier" love that song.

Here are me two cents... I have tried everything to lose wt and my family and friends have seen my modest successes and then dismal failures time and time again (wt loss, bigger wt gain...). Perhaps you fear the same thing that I do. Another failure that my loved ones get to witness. I think it is natural to not want to put this out there. It is not like there is much left to try after this step. WLS is it! That is the last rung on the latter. I feel like I cannot afford to fail this time. I cannot fail because the next step on the latter is off of the roof! I don't want to fall off but at the same time I am not confident enough in my ability to be successful even with this tool. I am hopeful but fearful. Scared but excited... I felt so conflicted about telling but I did tell. Thankfully I found myself surprisingly supported. I know I will need support and I know that I cannot do this by myself. Plus, As I have been reading all of these posts on "to tell or not to tell" I started thinking that the one way we can de-stigmatize WLS is to talk about it. I wonder if I would have done this earlier if I would have learned about it earlier. The more straight forward we are about wls the better people will understand it. And really, who are we fooling by not telling? It will come out as you start losing wt. Or, by witnessing the change in your eating habits. For a period of time an alcoholic can hide their disease but we literally carry our disease around with us all of the time. It is not like our loved ones didn't realize we needed to do something about our wt, right? My black outfits do not slim me down that much! I cannot answer your question, to tell or not to tell, but I believe as I go further down my own pre-op path that we can help others in our situation by sharing our stories. We can hopefully teach others that don't have wt issues that we are NOT lazy. It is not as easy as "just not eating crap all the time." We have a disease and we are doing all we know how to do to treat it. Sure, I could go it on my own again. Take off 20lbs and put on another 30lbs. As I get older I realize that I am wasting my life with this pattern. I have given the first 40 years of my life to this disease and I have failed treating it myself. I'm not giving it another 40 years. Best of luck as you find the path best for you! Dee

I have not been sleeved yet. I do intend on having a drink once surgery is done and I'm healed. I heard a story were someone that got sleeved is now suing because he became an alcoholic. Didn't realize the effects and is now addicted to it. I thought that was crazy!

Im back in the damn hospital really hoped that this would happen. Woke up and had dark tarry stool. Right away I knew this wasnt right by anymeans. My regular doctor didn't think much so I went to my bariatric center and the admitted me to te hospital right away. Turns out I have a big ulcer which I can't figure out from what because I don't use alcohol or smoke or take medications. So now I'm back and dehydrated because my nurse unplugged my IV machine and never started me back up.. So I have had half a bag of fluid all day and alls she said was ops in sorry I just got busy! Now I'm dealing with all sorts of xrap and they took away most liquids for me! I can only have broth lame!!! Oh and they started me on an anxiety medication because all the blood work and needle poking they were doing to me made me feel like I was having a nervous break down and I couldn't stop crying!

I think a lot of the pre-op diet has to do with your BMI. Lower BMI = fewer restrictions. I was able to eat up until 3 days of my surgery, then I had full liquids, even purees. I started with a BMI 35. Also there's something to do with shrinking the liver and that has to do with BMI, whether you drink alcohol, and maybe other stuff (guessing). So, I don't think there's an easy answer to your question. BUT if you're migraines are related to your food intake that is a HUGE consideration, too. I personally would do anything to get away from that kind of pain.

You know, I am almost 3 1/2 years out here, and that's a question I should be able to answer. I don't drink beer though. I've never liked it. I have a lot of sleeved friends, and none of them like beer either. if I had to guess, I would say it would be something that would be sort of hard to drink. The carbonation would make you feel full really fast. If you drank it slowly, I am sure it would work once you're cleared for alcohol. It's pretty much like soda though. Doctors will say carbonation will stretch the sleeve. You do get pretty drunk easily once you're sleeved though. The alcohol gets into your blood stream sooner.

I'm getting sleeved on the 25th. Things I will miss, in no particular order: Beer Diet Coke Regular Coke Beer Pepsi Beer Diet Pepsi Hmmmm.... am I forgetting anything? Oh yeah: BEER! P.S. Sorry for invading the powder Room ladies... but if it's any consolation, you are all always welcome in the Man Room P.S. #2: no I'm not an alcoholic, in case you're wondering. I actually don't drink a lot, usually just when watching football or out with the guys

I'm almost 18 months out and can eat pretty much anything I ate pre-op, just in smaller amounts. Some people, including the woman who writes the eggface blog, decide to give up a problematic food instead of trying to eat smaller amounts of it. Kind of like an alcoholic gives up drinking alcohol instead of trying to control something they know they can't control. That decision rests with each individual. I am grateful that I haven't ran across a food I felt the need to give up yet. I love my life on the goalies' bench! I do eat differently now. Here are a few examples: Night time salty snack: pretzels. I am pretty satisfied with a one-ounce portion. Popcorn: Try not to eat more than a couple of times per month. Hamburger: Generally, I make sliders at home. 4 oz. raw hamburger, formed into three small patties. I take two Kings Hawaiin Rolls and split them horizontally into third to make three buns. I use a little light mayo on the top bun. Chili Dogs: I like the Hebrew National Light Hot Dogs, 97% fat free beef chili,the light shredded cheddar cheese, some chopped onion, and don't eat much bun. Sometimes no bun. Sweets: I do indulge in sweets, but mostly try to stick to something light. I enjoy graham crackers with a little Peanut Butter or Quaker granola bars. The 90 calorie Fiber One brownies are good too. Sometimes i have soy milk heated with a splash of sugar free syrup. I also like the sugar free hot apple cider mix. Best wishes on your journey! Lynda

I am sorry you had a bad experience with your surgery. I just wanted to tell you that as a nurse for years, your nurse was very unprofessional and maybe inexperienced. An incident of tachycardia ( yes, heart racing ) is not a reason for a nurse panicking, especially in front of a patient. Many people wake up from surgery and it takes awhile for their vital signs to adjust! As for the horror stories - you should hear the ones I hear following emergency department visits out and about town. I will hear stories about visits that I was personally present for, and their versions are dramatically different from what I witnessed. That is not to say that in "their" perception they are describing it is not true but often when the outcome is not as they expected for example; waiting longer than they wany; not getting the medication they want; expecting chronic conditions to be "fixed" in an ER visit; or having the physician tell them that they cannot do anything form them. Someones visit may go as follows: they come in with their child with a cough and fever and have to wait 20 minutes for the current triage; after triaged they have to wait 20 minutes to come back; after coming back they have to wait 20 minutes for the doctor to see them because we have 2 motor vehicle crash victims; a chest pain; a baby being transferred and a pshych patient taking up a bed; we draw blood; it takes 2 attempts; the chest x-ray takes 30 minutes because the MVC victims are being done; Respiratory Therapy does a breathing treatment; we give medication for the fever (generally we have to wait an hour for it to kick in). During all of this time, the child is fussy and crying but VS are stable except the fever. Baby is fussy, and it takes 2 nurses to give the antibiotics; Finally, the fever comes down; the labs are good and the doctor prescribes some more antibiotics and they have to wait for 20 minutes for the discharge paperwork. Baby is still fussy because they are sick, but we cannot make that go away! After all of this, here is the point of the story, in our perception - this was a totally stable patient and a 3-4 hour ER visit is the norm with everything going on. The patients story which I heard the next day in the store was: Baby was really sick and it took hours in the ER to even be seen - they did not care that she was crying and hot. When we got in the back the nurses did not even know what they were doing and stuck her twice to get her blood. Even though she was screaming they made us wait forever and then they did not even admit her - they just sent her home with p prescription and told us to give her tylenol, We are never going back to that place! I know this is a long story, but while I do not want to minimize the risks, on all of the horror stories, how many of them were done by physicians that were not researched; in facilities that were not the greatest; did not comply with pre op and/or post op instructions; had pre existing conditions that they do not disclose on thier stories such as smoking; alcohol or drug usage?? I agree with the others that have posted, the risk of obesity and its health related problems are looming out there and shaking thier fist at us on a daily basis!! We are going into this with great expectations and not without thought and prayer, you can do it. And, if you ever have a nurse do this again, ask her calmly to take her own pulse before panicking!!!!

Plenty of sugar in them. It is in sugar alcohol which is half of the carbs. Your majority of carbs when eating should be fiber not sugar alcohols. This is how they make them taste better and a way for them to list them as 0 sugars in big and bold on the front label. Just saying a marketing gimmick.